Timothy “Fuzzy” Timms, a 45-year-old member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle club, stood up Monday for his First Amendment right to freedom of expressi

Timothy “Fuzzy” Timms, a 45-year-old member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle club, stood up Monday for his First Amendment right to freedom of expression. Timms, a resident of the San Diego community of South Park, refused to take off a black leather vest with the motorcycle club's “death's head” insignia when he reported for jury duty. He's a big burly man, 5 feet 8 inches, 250 pounds, with a full beard and auburn-colored, shoulder-length hair. At 7:45 a.m., Timms' stance got him booted from the San Diego Superior Court's Hall of Justice by sheriff's deputies, along with another Hells Angel who also refused to remove his insignia vest. Nine hours later, representatives of both the Superior Court and the sheriff's department apologized to Timms and club member Mick Rush for “misunderstanding” an order issued April 24 by Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Fraser. Rush also had been reporting for jury duty. “It all boils down to a misunderstanding of Judge Fraser's order by court security,” Karen Dalton, a court spokeswoman, said. “He (the judge) does have a case before him involving Hells Angels members and his order applies only to that case and to his courtroom, not to the entire courthouse.” Court documents show that Fraser has banned four defendants in a felony drug possession case from wearing “Hells Angels clothing in/out of the courtroom for security reasons.” Terri Brewton, the court's jury services manager, called Timms and Rush Monday afternoon to apologize for the misunderstanding and to discuss how each man would like to proceed with their jury service. Lt. Brian Conway, a court security supervisor, said: “Based on that misunderstanding, we certainly regret any inconvenience that we caused to these two men. Everybody has since been informed among our security screeners, so we don't expect any similar problem to be repeated.” Timms said he was happy to get Brewton's apology just before 5 p.m. He also was given credit for showing up Monday and told he fulfilled his service. But, he plans to report to jury duty the next time he is called, he said, and will again wear his Hells Angels vest. “She apologized and said they were embarrassed, and she sounded very sincere,” Timms said. “I told her, I did not have any complaint about jury officials, but rather I was embarrassed to be surrounded by six deputies and told I had to leave because of my attire.” “A lot of people try to get out of jury duty, but I feel that people ought to be proud to serve,” said Timms, who works as a real estate loan officer. “Without a jury, all you have is a judge making a decision. Through the jury process, you can choose a jury of your peers to hear your case and decide what is fair.” Attorney Anthony Colombo, Jr., who represents one of those on trial before Judge Frazer, said he plans to file a written challenge to the judge's order on grounds that the defendants' rights to freedom of expression and freedom of association outweigh the court's security concerns. A hearing on that dispute has not been scheduled.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

GANGLAND GODFATHER David Hough, 29, warned he was going to shoot the Ireland international as bouncers raced to protect the Celtic star. Hough - an ally of feared gangland killer Robert "Birdman" O'Hara - terrified clubbers as he went berserk at Darren. The footballer was out in Glasgow on Tuesday night celebrating ahead of his 23rd birthday on Th ursday. Hough went berserk over claims the player had been chatting to his girlfriend Charleigh Anderson, 23. One pal of the player said: "Darren had a hamstring injury which kept him out of the Kilmarnock game where Robbie Keane made his debut."He got permission from Tony Mowbray to have a night out with his friends. He used it as a chance to have an early birthday celebration. "He was out with a group of guys and they got a booth in Karbon. "The threats from this guy came completely out of the blue. It was much more than the abuse that Old Firm players sometimes get on a night out. "The guy had gone t…

Crime boss Robert "Birdman" O'Hara is still one of Scotland's most feared criminals despite being jailed for 20 years. The caged killer still controls a web of dealers in the north of Glasgow where he used to terrorise rivals. Last year, reporters watched as one of his dealers raked in a fortune from junkies.
Stephen Patterson, 27, boasted: "This is quality, the best around. The Birdman's only interested in the top-end stuff." O'Hara was jailed in 2005 after ordering the execution of Paul McDowall, 25, a rival's relative. He and three henchmen were given sentences totalling 56 years.Michelle Maxwell, the Birdman's girlfriend, was accused of offering cash to the sister of a key witness but the charge was found not proven. O'Hara rose from petty thief to control his £2million drugs empire, ruled through extreme violence. He enjoyed a luxury lifestyle with a £65,000 Audi, £350,000 flat and exotic holidays. During raids on several of his ho…

‘King of the Hill’ found shot dead in the Cheshire mansion of a controversial businessman Arran Coghlan.Stephen ‘Aki’ Akinyemi, 44, was said to be a prominent member of the notorious Cheetham Hill gang, which is believed to be behind major crime and the supply of drugs in Manchester.He was known for enjoying champagne and cruising Manchester’s clubland in his silver Porsche, with the private registration AKI.He had a string of previous convictions and most recently had been jailed for 13 months in 2006 for violent disorder.At the time of his death, he was on bail for allegedly attacking someone with a baseball bat outside the Lounge 31 nightclub in the city centre in November.He was found with serious stab injuries at Mr Coghlan’s Alderley Edge home on Tuesday afternoon. He was wearing a stab vest.But a post-mortem examination revealed he had died of a gunshot wound, not knife injuries.Mr Coghlan was also discovered with stab injuries at the scene and he was taken to hospital under p…